memories

January 16, 2013

Reading Richard's obit
underlines the truth of the expression "youth is wasted on the
young", because to me, during some extremely formative years in my life
starting in about 1983 or 1984, Richard was simply "Laura's Dad"…and
we had no idea at all of how accomplished a person he was! What were we
then, 18? 19? I shake my head at my younger self. It's
entirely to Richard's credit that my memories of him are always of an affable
big bear of a guy who never talked down to the cadre of long-haired misfits that
were his daughter's best friends. He was someone who never lorded over us
his very demonstrable intelligence and accomplishment. As a parent
now, I can only imagine the very understandable horror that any reasonable
father would experience at sight of so many Grateful Dead patches, customized
army jackets, and secretive whispered conversations amongst his daughter's
friends. But Richard was always nice to all of us, always gregarious and
outgoing. It was true of her whole family, in fact. The house was
always open to us. "Laura's House" was a location of primary
importance all throughout our high school days. I told Laura the other
day that of all the many memories I have of times spent at her house in
Bethany, one that stands out is a time when Laura, her father, and I went
fishing. I can no longer remember how this day came about, but knowing
all involved, it probably stemmed from a conversation between me and Laura in
which she revealed how into fishing her Father was, followed by me saying
"I would totally go fishing with you guys!", followed by Laura
laughing and slowly realizing that I was actually serious, and then her no
doubt telling her Father about the weird friend of hers who totally wanted to
go fishing. And Richard then of course probably extended his very genuine
offer. And so I remember meeting Laura and her dad at a lake somewhere,
very early for our 18 or 19 year old selves, probably. I remember the
process of getting the boat into the water and, although I had some acquatic/sporting
knowledge, it erred decidedly on the "some" end of the spectrum…and I
recall neither Laura nor myself being much help in getting underway. My
memory might fail me, but I seem to recall Laura baiting her own hook, but
maybe in fact Richard did it for her, uncomplainingly….either way says
something great about both of them…and while I can't remember any specific
conversation, the memory I have is of a guy who was very happy to be right
where he was, and very happy to be with who he was with, and who took great
delight in his daughter and in sharing something he loved. It was
unexpectedly fun. It's not an experience I would have otherwise had.
Laura's Dad passing reminds me of something I hope I will share with my
own daughter one day; that she not underestimate the importance of getting to
know her friends' parents, and that she should take them up on any offered
chances to do things with their families, and to extend the offer for her
friends' to do things with our family. I'll remember to use this story of
that one morning from the 1980's.

I am so sorry to hear that Richard has passed
away. I was a Ph.D. student in Organizational Behavior at Yale when he taught
there, and I feel very fortunate to have been a student in his class on high
performing teams. As others have said, he often taught without his shoes on. He
would get so excited about the topics he was teaching that every now and then
he'd walk into a wall. One day we came into the classroom and someone had
pinned pillows on each of the walls so that he wouldn't hurt himself when he
walked into a wall. A joke, of course, but one that says a lot about his
passion for learning and teaching about teams. To this day (twenty-five years
or so later), I continue to use his goals-design-coaching model for creating
high performing teams when I teach about high performing teams, and that model
is universally useful. Richard was a thoughtful and enthusiastic professor who
was also generous in making his ideas and resources available to others. My
sympathies go out to his loved ones.

I first met Richard when I had
the pleasure of taking his self-managing work teams course as an SOM student in
the early 80’s. We then reconnected at Harvard some years later in my
role as co-chair of the IEM program. It was such a privilege to have
him as a member of the IEM faculty for eleven years. Without fail,
participant reaction to his sessions placed him in the “rock star”
category. I so enjoyed reconnecting with him each summer, learning about
his latest work and thinking, and witnessing the many thank you’s he received
from IEMers for his outstanding sessions. There was a particularly
special twist to my connection with Richard three or so years ago when my
daughter – a member of the Harvard College Class of 2012 – took (and, not
surprisingly, greatly enjoyed) his undergrad course. I was so delighted
and thankful that two generations of Zolners were able to benefit from his
wisdom and many other gifts.

I hope it was abundantly clear
to Richard during the GroupFest activities just what kind of impact he had on
academe and the world. A truly amazing scholar, terrific teacher,
unbelievable mentor for academicians and professionals alike, and, perhaps most
importantly and impressively to me, a genuinely nice guy. I’m sure he was
also a wonderful son, spouse, father, and grandfather.

The Hackman family will very
much be in my thoughts and prayers. I truly hope that reflecting on and
celebrating Richard’s amazing life and legacy will provide some consolation in
the days and weeks ahead.

On 11 January 2013, the flags at MacMurray College, Richard's alma mater, were flown at half mast to acknowledge the MacMurray community's "respect for Richard, and our love and support for Judith and their family."

Dick was a member of my theses committee at Yale
(along with Tim Hall and Ed Lawler). I believe I had the best committee ever,
and Dick was a major contriutor in terms of both scholastic and emotional
support. Dick and I also shared a love of fishing that provided another bond.
I haven't seen Dick for several years now, since I retired in 1999 and we live
in Tulsa. He was never out of my memories, however, and I'll always apprecieat
his friendship and suport.

I first met Richard when I read a article that
he had written in a Journal when he was at Yale.I was deeply involved in Job
Enrichment as a consultant for Roy W Walters & Associates and i just called
him up. He was so delightful on the phone that I wanted to meet him. We stuck
up a wonderful working relationship with Richard and Greg Oldham that became
the basis for the JDS and much future work with Job Design.Over the years I
would meet Richard with different clients and he always gave fantastic energy
to a project and taught all of us new approaches to improving jobs, teams and
organizations. My prayers are with his family.

I am Richard's cousin, Sue Schaeffer....our moms
were sisters. We grew up in a small town, Virginia, Il., and having Richard as
a cousin was very exciting! I remember laughing, teasing, joking, and anxiously
awaiting his visits to our house! Being six yrs. older than I, he had graduated
and gone 'off to college' before I was in high school. Reading the wonderful
memories sent by students, peers, and others who knew him, brought me to tears!
He never bragged or told us much about his work, so learning of his
contributions to the academic world was quite impressive! One of the things I
remember was that we had a 'flash cube' (on the much older cameras) contest of
sorts each time he would come over. We secretly stashed away our old ones so we
could 'get' the other one first by putting them in the other's pockets!...so
simple and so silly, but it was so much fun! We'd run around the house trying
to 'win' this silly obsession of ours til we laughed ourselves sick. As you all
know, he didn't give up! Very competitive. He always beat me at ping pong, but
we played another game of trying to knock the other person off balance by
standing still, feet apart, and smacking each other's hands until the other one
fell off balance. I most frequently won that game, and it made him so
frustrated! One of my most pleasant memories was usually on holidays.....his
family would come over and after the meal it would be POKER TIME!!!! Always
dealer's choice, and what a fun time we had! Richard always made things more
fun. There was such ferver in him. However with my mom and his mom, we could
barely get through a game! We laughed til we cried! He was the janitor at the
Methodist Church, played basketball, football, and the trombone in the band.
His mom told me that when he was young, he'd come into their bedroom every
night with a problem. She'd ask him how he might solve it, and/or give him
suggestions until he was satisfied. He started early learning to think and
solve problems! All in all, I will miss him greatly. Such a unique individual
and a deffinite contributor to his fellow man! I'm proud that he was my
cousin!!!

Visualize, if you will, the following scene: It's late on a
winter day, in the seminar room on the 15th floor of William James Hall. The
heat was acting up that day and it was sweltering. Standing behind the podium
is a huge man, wearing a jacket and tie. This man, Richard Hackman, was
interviewing for a senior faculty position. We were all baking. About 10
minutes into his talk, Richard took off his tie. Five minutes later he took off
his jacket. And then a few minutes later he took off his shoes. At this point
the audience was transfixed, waiting to see what was next. All the while he was
presenting his work, absolutely clear and with an intensity that signaled his
deep commitment to what he was doing. He somehow made his giving the talk and his
incremental disrobing seem absolutely natural.

This incident proved to encapsulate many of Richard's
qualities. Most obviously, he was not a creature of convention. Richard was
intellectually fearless; he relished going boldly where no man had gone before.
For instance, I recall when I first broached to him what I thought might be a
flakey idea: Maybe a team could be considered as a kind of uber-brain, with
each person playing the role of a specific brain system. (Someone else, not a
researcher, had first raised this idea to me casually in conversation.) Richard
loved the idea, and the Group Brain Project was born soon thereafter. This
project took that idea seriously and produced some ground-breaking work.
Richard was not afraid to follow his instincts, which were almost always right
on-target.

During the course of the Group Brain Project I got to know
Richard well, as a close collaborator and close friend. Richard was a joy to
work with. Richard was one of the overall smartest people I’ve ever known. He
was equally comfortable with things quantitative and qualitative, and picked up
new ideas without effort. I loved talking to him; he was always thinking and
always willing to lend you not just his ear, but his brain. He was the most
constructive critic I've ever known. But more than that, he took seriously what
you had to say and used it as a springboard for creative thinking.

Richard was intensely committed to his work, and
uncompromisingly serious about achieving the highest possible quality. He would
sometimes sit on a paper we co-authored for many months, not sure that it was
really good enough. He truly believed in the value of psychological science,
but only if it was done right – and his standards made that a very high bar.

Richard was also one of the most ethical people I've ever
known. He reflexively considered whether an idea or action was appropriate. But
that's not to say that he was dogmatic. Far from it; Richard was always open to
discussion, always willing to debate. He listened and—characteristically—thought
about what the other person had to say.

In spite of his great gifts and enormous range of knowledge
and skills, Richard was humble. He knew his own faults and frailties, perhaps
too well, and never in my experience showed a shred of arrogance or hubris. Richard
embodied a deep kind of humanity. He cared about other people and made time for
them. People who knew Richard came to love him. For good reason.

Richard always knew a lot more than most people,
but he was always curious about what he did not know. He had an elegant way of
teaching, prodding, agitating, examining. He had a great gift of turning
complex subjects into simple, accessible universals. We experienced his passion
to help working people. He left his mark on unions for decades to come. We miss
him.

I first
became aware of Richard's work in 1974, and met him for the first time five
years later. He was a giant in the disciplines of Organizational Psychology and
Organizational Behavior. Through my classes alone, his work has influenced more
than 10,000 academics and practicing managers. I must also add, he was a
delightful colleague. He will be missed, but his influence will continue.

I know Hackman since last 7 seven years through his
knowledge contributions as a business student in Pakistan. Although I never met
him but most of the time during my MBA and then PhD , I have been citing his
name frequently. Although he was far away from me in physical boundaries but
through his knowledge and thoughts he was very close to me and my colleagues
discussing always about his contributions. His work will always be remembered
as a great scholar in the field of management. May his soul rest in peace.

A few years ago I reached out to Richard to seek
his help advising our most senior leadership teams within the National Park
Service. He had been recommended by a colleague of his whom I had met during
the Senior Executive Fellows Program years earlier. I was surprised by
Richard's immediate and down-to-earth response, and his eagerness to work with
us. I soon learned that he cared deeply about the preservation of our country's
special places, and was therefore committed to improving the leadership of an
organization dedicated to that mission. I subsequently had the privilege of working
with him in multiple NPS locations, and each time witnessed his special magic.
Richard's extensive knowledge and keen ability to assess what was really going
on within a senior leadership team enabled him to hone in immediately on
suggested ways to restructure to more effectively meet our organization's
needs. More importantly, his quick wit and warm personality created a genuine
relationship with his clients - an atmosphere of trust and respect. His impact
has been substantial within the National Park Service, and his contributions to
our future are yet to be truly realized. We are in his debt.

What an inspiration Richard has been to me
throughout my career. His challenges to "do great work," "deal
with real problems" and "come together intellectually across the
crazy silos we create between disciplines" always ring in my ears as
watchwords to live by in my scholarly life. He will be missed by so many who
knew him well, but his inspiration will live on in the stories they pass on to
those of us who knew him less well. I find myself at this moment inordinately
glad that we (the OB division of the Academy of Management) honored him this
past summer with our highest award. He was gracious and generous with his time
at the meeting - I'm so glad we collectively got to honor him in what turned
out to be his last meeting. We should all strive to be the contribution he was
to our field. We will, of course, most likely fail to achieve it, but it is in
the striving that we make a difference.

As a doctoral student at MIT, I cross registered
for Richard Hackman's graduate seminar in group dynamics at Harvard. What a
marvelous and unique experience that was. Professor Hackman’s knowledge of the
field, analytical mind, enthusiasm, and refreshing personality fueled wonderful
discussions. Over the years, I kept track of his research and saw him speak at
several conferences. We also collaborated on a project to improve the
management of symphony orchestras. Richard Hackman's work has served as the
foundation in group processes for my own writing, teaching, and process
consultation. To experience Richard Hackman’s soul in this existence was a
blessing. He will be missed, but his insights and contributions live on
………………………………………………………….. My condolences to his family.

I first met Richard at Yale in the mid-1960's.
I followed his work on the JCM which I taught and researched over my career. When
I moved to Cambridge in the 2000's I connected with him again and he was very
helpful as I settled in at Cambridge after my retirement. Richard always took
on "difficult" problems to research -- like teams -- and increased
our understanding immeasurably. I will miss him.